Bailey Smith Crushed By BRUTAL Kysaiah Pickett Hit And ‘Could Have Been Knocked Out’
Bailey Smith is knocked down by BRUTAL Kysaiah Pickett hit as AFL great Brad Johnson warns Bulldogs gun could have been ‘knocked out’ by vicious blow to the head
- Bailey Smith took a brutal hit from Kysaiah Pickett on Saturday
- The Bulldogs gun rose quickly despite being flattened by the impact
- Melbourne star could get into trouble with Match Review Officer
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Demons star Kysaiah Pickett could be in hot water after a brutal hit on Bailey Smith at the MCG on Saturday during Melbourne’s 17.13 (115) to 9.11 (65) thrashing of the Western Bulldogs.
With just over 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter of the 2021 Grand Final rematch, Pickett collided shoulder-first with the Bulldogs midfielder after he leapt into the air for a split second after the latter kicked the footy away .
The crushing impact sent Smith sprawling to the floor, but he quickly got back to his feet and played out the second quarter.
Pickett’s bump started a fight, with umpires initially struggling to separate Bulldogs and Demons players before eventually restoring order to proceedings.
Pickett was reported by the on-field umpire and the incident will now be reviewed by Match Review Officer Michael Christian.
Bailey Smith (left) was knocked down by a brutal hit from Demons star Kysaiah Pickett
Pickett could be in trouble after the hit on the Bulldogs midfielder on Saturday
Pickett’s hit on Smith sparked a scuffle that the officials struggled to resolve
Speaking on Fox Footy, Bulldogs great Brad Johnson suggested Pickett could be in trouble, even though Smith appeared relatively unscathed.
At a time when concussions are a major issue in all footy codes, Johnson warned that rating the impact as “low” risked sending the wrong message.
‘He [Smith] can be turned off,” he said.
‘In the end what he [Pickett] has done is jumped off the floor, bent over, got him under the chin with a little bit of his back – that’s the piece for me is impact and what we classify as low, medium and high.
“The outcome plays into that, so if that’s classified as “low” because Bailey sits up and plays out the quarter, I’m not sure that’s a good fit for me.
“The action isn’t good, but the result is OK, so that’s where it kind of gets lost for me.”
Speaking on Fox Footy, AFL great Brad Johnson said he felt Smith could have been knocked out by the brutal blow to the head
Former Geelong superstar Cameron Mooney echoed the view, arguing that Pickett’s tackle could have been worse.
“He was lucky Kozzy [Pickett] because in my opinion it seemed like shoulder to shoulder,” said the three-time premiership winner.
“As he rolled, the back hit Bailey in the chin. Therefore, the impact was probably low and Bailey got right back up.
“If it was shoulder to chin, he’s knocked out.”
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